Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel is on a remarkable run. Coming into Tuesday night he’d crushed 11 home runs in 17 games in July, including six over the course of five games* to open the month. That’s two more homers in three weeks than he’d hit in the other three whole months of the season. Tuesday night he punched a liner to center, and even that became a home run. He has reached the point in the Twilight Zone episode where now he is socking too many dingers.
Gurriel has now collected at least one extra base hit in 11 straight Astros home games, and has raised his slugging percentage from .423 on June 29 to .520 entering Tuesday night. He has 15 dingers and 33 runs batted in over his last 25 games. He is also on a 12-game hitting streak. Hence the look on Gurriel’s face as he was waved home, the unbelieving smile of a man who is waiting for the Candid Camera crew to appear at any second. He’s having an insane month. The bewilderment is justified!